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American Voices Seminar

The seminar provides an opportunity to learn about various aspects of the American society and culture through the experiences of American Fulbright grantees currently in Finland. The seminar is organized by the University of Turku North American Studies Program and the Fulbright Finland Foundation with the support of U.S. Embassy in Helsinki.

The 25th American Voices Seminar took place on October 6-7, 2017 at the University of Turku!

15:20 What the Fulbright Finland Foundation Can Do for YouKaroliina Kokko, Program Manager, Fulbright Finland Foundation

15:30 Refreshment Break

15:55 Session I: American Society and Identity Part II

Tiffany Viggiano - State Diversity: California Is More than Hollywood and HipstersAmanda Tursi - Anabaptists Roots in Modern America

16:30 Brief Intermission

16:35 Session II: American Nature and Diversity

Manuel Sanders - Cumberland Island National SeashoreJames Stock - Hurricanes, Tornadoes and Lightning – But I Still Choose to Live in Florida

17:10 End of Program for Friday

Saturday, October 7, 2017, University of Turku, Publicum, Pub1

10:15 Session III: Sports and Arts in America

Andrew House, James O’Donnell and Emily Olsen - College Sports Culture in the US: Perspectives from NCAA Athletes and FansGemma Holt, Maya Kaul and Peter Matthews - Small Liberal Arts Colleges in the US

11:10 Refreshment Break

11:30 Session IV: The Uniquely American

Vaughn Shirey and Audrey Waits - Blood, Sweat, and Music - The American Marching BandJoshua Pearce - American Maker Culture: Making Your Own Toys for ChristmasDavid Timberlake - The Sights, Sounds and Tastes of East Los Angeles

12:35 Closing Words Janne Korkka, North American Studies, University of Turku

12:40 Seminar Closing

Selected Presentation Titles and Programs from the Past Years

The 24th American Voices Seminar took place on October 7-8, 2016, at the University of Turku

14:40 Session II: American IdentitiesCarol Tenopir - From Hawaii to Tennessee: A 5,000-Mile Journey across U.S. CultureAvanti Chajed - Dual Identities: Growing up Indian in AmericaRyan Beitz and Anthony Stillabower - The Inexistence of an Avant-Garde in American Life

Karoliina Kokko, Program Manager, Fulbright Center - Your Bridge to Study and Research in the U.S.

15:40 Refreshment break

15:55 Session III: Reimagining AmericaJames Stock - Amazon, eBay and Star Trek - What Do They Have in Common?Vaidyanathan Subramanian - And You Thought Nevada Is Only Known for Its Gambling!

16:30 Brief intermission

17:25 Session IV: The Uniquely AmericanDanny Smyl and Joseph Toth - American Innovations by NASAEdward Sivak - American Voices, Cliches and an American VoiceJohn Broussard, Rae Ann Broussard and Lauren Knoth - College Football: A Uniquely American Experience

The 23rd American Voices Seminar, October 9-10, 2015

Video of American Voices Seminar 2015

The twenty-third American Voices Seminar was at the University of Turku on October 9-10, 2015. In the seminar, U.S. Fulbrighters currently in Finland presented on a myriad of topics connected to American history, society, and culture. Examples of topics in this year’s seminar included gendered toys, food culture, American politicians, urban farming and public art, and the outsourcing of Hollywood films.

The American Voices Seminar is organized jointly by the Fulbright Center Finland and University of Turku.

2010

Shelia Kennison: Cultural Diversity in the U.S.Julene Johnson: Finnish American Kantele Players on the West CoastLauren Holmes Frankel: “If everybody had an ocean”: Surf Music and 1960s AmericaJacquelyn Gleisner: The Great State of MichiganKimberly J. Scott: Friends, Neighbors and the American Block Party!!! Or, How to Meet New People in the United StatesAmanda Kaipio: Reality TV, specifically: American Idol, America’s Got Talent & So You Think You Can DanceThe Beamer Family: HalloweenGonzalo R. Arce: DelaWhere? A Glimpse of the Mid-Atlantic USAChristian Benefiel: Chesapeake CultureRebecca Littman-Smith: Coffee Culture in the Pacific NorthwestMackenzie Lind: Amish in Lancaster, PennsylvaniaBenjamin Alldritt: California: State of ImmigrationRobert Leigh: Racial Segregation in BaseballBethany Blair: Americans and Their Cell PhonesMark C. Smith: Alcohol and Other Drugs as Insights into Cultural Study

2009

Nicholas Shears: Indie musicNan Guo: The history and enjoyment of Country musicMelanie Lahti: Aaron Copland's contribution to American musicErika Richter: The Other New York: Life in Upstate New YorkJulia Stein: Loss and American Folk ArtKathryn Fox: The American high school promBenjamin Hedrick: American humourJonathan Krasno: The evolution of campaign adsTherese Quinn: Access, activism the arts: Public education after Brown v. Board of EducationRandall Allsup: Kutiman, copy-lefting, and the future of music makingAlicia Viani: Wilderness Therapy SchoolAddison Kemp: Women's collegesElliot Gorn: The Return of John Dillinger

2008

OTHER AMERICAS THAN WE KNEWAndres Resendez, Bicentennial Professor: The Other Pilgrims: Feasting on Lizards instead of TurkeyMark McKnight: America in Pictures: photographic histories and the Diversity of the cultureRobert Yamasato: John Cage and the New York School

WAYS OF BEING AMERICANBrian Arnold: American IndividualismJeanine Markley: Fiddling Styles in North America

EDUCATION IN AMERICABernadette Baker: See-Snatch-Slap-Cry: Education, Philosophy, and University LifeJanis Sotherden: Differences Between the US and Finnish K-12 Educational SystemsUrsula Gibson: New England and its traditionsAshley Duncan: Kentucky: The Gateway to the SouthGeoffrey McGovern: Rule of Law or Rule of Lawyers?Deborah Turner: Talkin and TestifyinLinda Holtslander: Hanging Out Rocks

2007

ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH IN THE USElizabeth Crone: Designing management for invasive weeds

NATIVE AMERICAN CULTURESNetania Zagorski: Contemporary Native American culture(s)Joy McCullough: The Native American culture of the Southwest

THE ARTS IN CONTEMPORARY AMERICADerek Ho: Aaron Copland and Samuel Barber: American voices in classical musicMark Doiel: A short history of American popular musicCarrie Schneider: Concept & Construction: Contemporary American photographyElijah Petersen: Dance in America

CHALLENGES IN CONTEMPORARY AMERICAN SOCIETYAlan Nissel: American International Law at the turn of the 20th CenturyCelia Kujala: Health care in AmericaCarol Rao: New Orleans after Hurricanes Katrina & RitaEllen Kackmann: Voluntary work

OTHER LIFE-FORMS IN AMERICASabra Booth: Urban legends and myths of the Texas border regionsLaurie Owen: The San Diego Zoo

2006

OPENING ADDRESSMichael Parrish, Bicentennial Professor: American Beginnings and American Endings

SOCIAL INSTITUTIONS & INTERACTIONDouglas Maynard: Autism in the US: Increased Incidence and Effects on Social InteractionErnest Boyd: The Role of Food Banks in the United StatesDaniel Dye: Social Cohesion in Finland, Europe, and the United States: housing projects in the US

THREE CASE STUDIESKenneth Kolson: The young George Washington and the American WestKatherine Wilson: A Gathering of American RusticsLiesl Yamaguchi: Erasing Embarrassment: The Japanese-American Internment in California

EXPLORATIONS IN AMERICAN IDENTITYKaren Keifer-Boyd: This Sign Is As American As Apple Pie: A Semiotic Expedition into Dynamite Museum's Public PedagogyJanet Bean: The “I” in American: Autobiography and National Identity

2005

RURAL AMERICARebecca Richards: Rural Restructuring in the American West at the 21st CenturyKjerstin Moody: Contemporary Ethnic American LiteratureJeremy Thorne: Life in the Alaskan bush

MEDIA AND INSTITUTIONSMichael Landau: Regional differences in the USJakab Michael: The InternetSheri Carder: Yoda-ism: What if learning happened outside the classroom? American community colleges.Molly Jones: American Children's Literature

LIGHT RELIEFRoberta Lamb: Living in HawaiiMary Kathryn Sagaria: American cuisine, with a focus on the peanut butter and jelly sandwich.Matthew Dorman: Recent folk/pop styles emerging in Californian music.

2004

UNIVERSITY TEACHING IN AMERICACharles Kamm: One city, two worlds: Differing U.S. university culturesCatherine Schuler: Vocational training versus humanistic education: Teaching and studying theatre in the American universityCarol Darling: Walking a tightrope: The joys and challenges of sexuality research and teaching

SPORTS AND THE OUTDOORSDan Benesh: American football: Nebraska as a case studyRonald Glahn: Youth sports: Is it really play?Karen Hibbard-Rode: Wilderness tripping programs for American youth

ARTS: CULINARY AND CERAMICJenna Hartel: The American passion for the hobby of cookingHeather Mae Erickson: Cranbrook life and art

ENGLISH: WRITTEN AND SPOKENBryan Pellom: Literacy in America and the ’Colorado Literacy Tutor’ projectChris Peterson: Three North American accents

2003

LANDSCAPING AMERICAHurricane Hazards in the USThe Driftless Area: History, Geology and Wildlife of SW WisconsinAngel's Flight: Utopia and Dystopia in America's Most Derided CityGaps and Fissures in the American West

BEING SPECIALReflections on Collecting AmericaIndependent College Radio Stations and the Music IndustryGrowing up in an Amish and Mennonite communityNative American “Talking Sticks”Lesbian & Gay / LGBT Civil Rights Activism and History

VOICES AND POSITIONSLatina Writers: Contemporary Voices in United States LiteraturesIndonesian Gamelan Music in the USKinetic AwarenessAmerican High School Marching Bands

2002

Rock ClimbingThe OzarksGrowing up on a sheep farm in MaineFemale athletes in American universitiesCivil liberties and foreign policy after 9/11Changing interpretations of the New TestamentRace relations in the churchesMyths about violence in schoolsThe American heroPolice Surveillance in America after September 11You are what you ride: Comparing Disneyworld & LinnanmäkiThe photography of Eudora Welty

2001

LEISURE IN AMERICAN SOCIETYWork, Leisure, and ConsumptionThe Rise of the Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing GameSaturdays Without Football: The Curious Case of American Intercollegiate AthleticsLeisure, Teaching, and Research: Any Connections?

ARTS IN AMERICAN SOCIETYMaking Connections: The Arts, Dance and ViolenceAn Artist’s Voice: The Artist as an American Shaman?Pacific Plainsong (reading)

REGIONS, POLITICS, MEDIA IN AMERICAN SOCIETYTexas and Old-Western CultureAmerican Attitudes About foreign Policy as Reflected in Political CartoonsSpeak: The Failure of One Independent Magazine Among Many

VIOLENCE IN AMERICAN SOCIETYOn the Outside: Dealing with American Violence from FinlandPublic Displays of Emotion in SeattleLeisure & Violence in AmericaViolence in Defense of Liberty, Violence in Restraint of Liberty

2000

Saving and Enjoying Northern California Forests & RiversAlmost Heaven, West VirginiaAmerican DialectsFan Culture on the WebJobs, Homes, and Dreams: American Urban EnvironmentsThe American Southwest Land, Culture, & HistoryAmerican Regional Food - A Culinary TourPublic art in the USAWhy would an American director want to come and work in Europe?American Film Music and National IdentityHealth care in the US in crisisPolicing New York City

1999

Success of the NYPD in the Fight against Violent CrimeMedia Constructions of Crime and Criminals in the USChild safety and learning in a networked society: challenges for American parents and teachersAmerica through the eyes of Norman RockwellDiscussion: violence in American cultureAmerican summer campsTraditions of Halloween + pumpkin!Religious Violence in Contemporary AmericaNovel reading “News from Fort God”America’s National Parks: Paradise Lost?Regional differences between North and South

1997

Americans between WorldsLighting Out for the TerritoryPhoto-portraits of Southern writersBio-Invaders of AmericaPoems from ‘Postcards of the Mind’The Enquiry Learning ApproachMaking the World your Oyster: Experiences from Teaching Information Systems Management for Global OptionsPerceptions of Time